Firstly, what the FRICK is a polymorphic engine? Like what type of hoodoo stuff is this?
Well, little child, a polymorphic engine is basically a type of software used in certain malware to evade detection by antivirus programs such as Windows Defender, Malwarebytes, etc.
But what does it do???
A polymorphic engine allows malware to change its code structure while retaining the original functionality. While it continuously alters the code, it also evades signature-based detection methods, which very primitively just recognize patterns in the code to identify threats.
What are the key components to this, brah??
Well, that’s why I’m here, buddy. One key component is the mutation engine, which is basically just the core of it. It is very important and responsible for generating new versions of the malware. Each version has some type of different appearance but basically does the same malicious thing. It also has an encryption and decryption mechanism. It most of the time encrypts the payload to hide itself, and the decryption part is usually altered each time the malware propagates, making it harder to detect. Code obfuscation is another component; it inserts junk code, reorders instructions, and so on. Self-modification is also crucial; it can change its code during execution, which is good if you have one particular version and it gets detected. Someone else might not detect it, which is a 50/50 in idealism.
How to detect this?
Simple, my child. One way is signature-based detection, which is very primitive and effective. Antivirus programs rely on this, but it’s really hard to catch. There’s also heuristic analysis, which detects it by behavior, not code structure, but it can also evade this. Yeah, I know, what the heck. Good ways to counter this pest are behavioral analysis, machine learning, and sandboxing.
Well, in conclusion, a polymorphic engine is just aimed at evading detection by altering the code, but understanding how to combat this is pretty advanced. Anyway, goodbye, brah!